


A Dragon's Dream

by mooselightning



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Grief, time-travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-29 01:30:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10843689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mooselightning/pseuds/mooselightning
Summary: With a flutter of her cape, Corrin got onto the back of the horse that was waiting for her. The soldier gave a nod of respect to the confirmed loyal Princess of Nohr, before slapping the horse’s flank to send her on her way. In the distance she could hear Sakura’s pleas and Hinoka’s yell of rage, but Corrin steeled her heart to it. She couldn’t let them sway her, this was the best path for all of them.‘Elise, I won’t fail you again.’





	A Dragon's Dream

Blood dripped down onto the floor, it splattered the perfectly polished marble, little droplets soaking into the cracks and crevices. It had all happened so fast that she couldn’t focus, mesmerised by the way so much blood poured out of her sister’s tiny frame. It seemed like a dream, a horrific dream. The big brother she knew would have never cut Elise down, but then again, the big brother that she’d adored would have never try to duel her seriously either. All those memories and her vain hopes of fixing everything shattered in that one moment.

“Elise!” She shouted in unison with Xander, he fell to his knees to catch her, Corrin was pulled back by Ryouma last minute before she could reach out. Pink locks stained with blood, she frantically looked back at Ryouma, eyes glistening as she silently demanded that he let her go. Without saying a word, he shook his head in refusal, pulling her back further away. He looked sympathetic, but the battle ready wariness didn't leave his eyes. A flare of frustration and gnawing anger flared at him, "Ryouma, let me-"

He didn't relent. All she could do was watch as Xander, the brother that she’d once idolised fell apart at the seams before her. Each thundering gasp choked out of him as he listened to Elise's final words, they seemed to match the weak staccato of her heartbeats. No longer resisting Ryouma, she was on the ground, wrist still being held onto firmly as she looked through misty eyes to see the final breath leave Elise's pinched face. 

The room was silent as her gauntlet clanged loudly against the floor.

Someone was screaming, their voice guttural as it echoed throughout the chamber.

Only when Kaze stood between her and bloody scene before her, hugging her tightly, did she realise it was coming from her. Never in her life had she felt true grief, losing Queen Mikoto had been hard, but Corrin’s grief stemmed more from a keen loss of a relationship that they could have had, twisted with survivor’s guilt. Elise, on the other hand, she was everything to her. Elise had been there on the cold lonely nights in the Northern Fortress, always willing to have tea parties with her, or drag Leo out of the library to spend time with her. She always made it her personal mission to never let Corrin be sad, brightening her life with small, precious gifts. She was the light of their lives, the only one that seemed to truly believe in peace unwaveringly. Corrin played the part but deep down she couldn't deny that she had reservations about everything. Maybe if she believed fervently like Elise, they wouldn't be here today. 

Fists digging into his chest, Corrin sobbed against Kaze’s chest, clinging to her lover as if he was her lifeline. He was right to step in the way, she didn’t know if she could stand another second of looking at Elise anymore. If she closed her eyes tightly enough, she could almost pretend this was a bad dream. That any moment, Elise was going to get up from the floor and say it was just a joke. Even through the raging grief, Corrin couldn't help the shot of empathy for her brother who was alone in this chamber, holding onto Elise's unnatural splayed body. The knowledge that he was behind her death... Oh, it had to be agonising. Her company wouldn't see it; they didn't know the man before them. Xander was many things, but he truly loved each one of his siblings. If she felt like her heart was being torn out through her stomach, Xander, he was much worse off.

Or so she thought.

The scrapping of metal against the floor rang out as he got up, Siegfried was in his arm. Looking over Kaze's shoulder, what empathy that she had faded into fury tainted with disgust. Was he this far gone? He was pointing the bloodstained sword at Kaze’s back, but she knew it was a challenge for her. His blade was crusted with their sister’s blood, and yet he still wouldn’t relent. He was once a god to her, someone that Corrin admired and wanted to model herself after. How low he'd fallen.

Gently extracting herself from Kaze’s arms, she met his eyes darken with concern with a slight smile. It was the same bitter smile that she wore every time they went to battle. The smile of a woman who knew that despite her hatred for bloodshed and war, it was the only way. Kaze knew this look well, having been by her side for the past few months more intimately than anyone else. He was more than willing to fight for her, despite his clear disadvantage in battle against the paladin, he would have done it for her. It’s why she loved him so much, but this was her task. She’d led this party here; she was the leader.

"I'm here for you. Just command me." He said, she could almost taste his fear, desperation to stop the battle that would unfold. She couldn't blame him for questioning her, they'd just watched Xander cut down Elise, but she couldn't stop. Kissing lightly on his forehead, Corrin got up, trying to ignore how pained Kaze looked. Gripping Yato tightly, Corrin stepped past Kaze to face her brother. Her pink locks spilling behind her, flecks of blood spotting it, she looked the part of a vengeful wraith. She wasn't his little princess anymore; she was her own woman. And she wouldn't blindly adore him anymore.

“Elise just died in your arms trying to stop us from fighting… Yet you want us to just pick up from where we left off?” Her words petered off to a hiss as she stepped forward slowly, raising her sword up to fight. New strength filled her when she saw his unchanging stoic face, for a second, she thought she saw something flash by but that had to be a trick of the light. Corrin redirected her energy into preparing herself, Xander was a formidable fighter and her head was foggy with grief. 

Her violet eyes glimmered with unshed tears as their blades finally met in the centre like the fateful day in the Hoshidan fields by the river. If only they could go back to then, maybe she could have changed things. Maybe they wouldn’t be here, fighting to the death. A futile dream of a child.

Elise's death changed everything.

They went back and forth, trading blows. She'd feint, but he'd see through it. He'd parry when she went for a strong swing. She was no match for him, but every time someone tried to step in, she warded them off with a barking order. He did the same to his retainers. This was their duel, and they both knew deep down that only one of them was allowed to win. If he died, it would be by her blade, that was the least she could do for him.

The battle was tight, sweat dripped out of her gauntlet, and her shoulders ached dully from holding fast against his vicious swings. But she couldn't give up, she had too much to live for, and Garon, he had to pay for what he'd done. When she finally saw a gap in his defence, Corrin honed in as Ryouma had taught her to do.

"For Hoshido!" Her blade aimed true, knocking Siegfried out of Xander's hand as she went for the final blow.

Blood stained her white armour, it splattered the perfectly polished marble. The little droplets soaked into the cracks and crevices in the floor.

It all happened so fast that she couldn't focus.

"Corrin! No!"

She was on the ground.

"Bi- Big brother..." She gasped through the pain, everything was getting cold. 

"I'm sorry I disobeyed you, Lord Xander. But I couldn't let the little traitor kill you." There was a spear in her chest, that wasn't there before? Vaguely, she could make out a woman in armour behind Xander, it was one of his retainers... Oh, that made sense, she thought. Despite all that he'd done, Corrin was weirdly okay with this. Was this how Elise felt? A relief that it was all over?

"Little princess, please don’t speak. You need to-“

“Get off her! Corrin! My love!”

“Big Sister!”

“Nohrian Scum, how dare you!”

“No, not again. I won’t lose you to them again, Corrin.”

“You’ll pay for this, on my honour as a Prince of Hoshido!” 

‘No, please don’t fight.’ She wanted to say, she wanted to plead. But all that came out was a wet gurgle so she gave up trying to speak. Instead, she accepted that her part was over here. Lying in Xander’s arms, for the first time, she noticed a faint scar on his chin, but that wasn’t the important detail. No, his eyes were wet with unshed tears. ‘Oh, you were sad too.’ It was relieving to see that he wasn’t stone, maybe there was hope for Nohr after all. If he could still cry, maybe he wouldn’t turn into Garon.

That was her last thought as she closed her eyes.

 ‘It’s not your time yet.’

-

 

 “This way.”

“Big- Sister?”

“She’s mine sister!”

“We’re your family.”

Corrin stood dumbly, unable to do anything but blink as she looked at the hallucinations before her. Everything looked so realistic, from the burnt orange of the skies, to the torn expressions on her siblings’ faces as they pleaded for her to leave with them. But it wasn’t real, just a memory of a distant past that haunted her in her dying breathes. This had to be what people meant when they said that their life flashed before their eyes when they died. Though she didn’t expect it to be so realistic down to the distant sounds of a rushing river.

Corrin looked on fondly at this moment, appreciating the moment when her siblings were all alive and whole. She never noticed how small Elise was, it was hard to imagine this fearful child was the one that threw herself without hesitation between her and Xander. The war had changed them all, not necessarily for the better. She just basked in this moment despite the chaotic natural of the clashing swords and screams of vengeance that whirlwinded around her, a soft smile on her face as she spoke. “You know, you two are more alike than you think.”

Next, Xander would look at her betrayed, knocking her off her feet with his sword, just like he would when they trained but unlike the dulled training sword he would use, Siegfried cut and bled her. Closing her eyes, she prepared for it, waiting for the next memory to float upon her, carry her to the next flashpoint in her life.

But nothing happened.

Slowly opening her eyes, she peered confused at the puzzled and concerned faces of her siblings. That wasn’t something that happened, or perhaps it did and she didn’t remember. It hadn’t been that long ago, but it felt a decade or three had passed between when she first arrived to Castle Krakenburg for the first time to her premature death by Xander’s retainer’s spear.

“Corrin, darling, who do you choose?” Camilla’s voice cut through the awkward silence, she tried to come over to stroke her cheek as she always did, but was cut off by Ryouma’s sword pointing menacingly at her. Xander replied in turn, Siegfried clanging against Raijinto in a show of obvious strength.

 Corrin didn’t know what to say, this definitely wasn’t in the script. This wasn’t how it played out, she was supposed to choose Hoshido and have Xander slash at her wildly. But time stood still for her, letting her choose once again. That had to be it, the world was giving her a second chance to choose right. To choose the path that would lead to peace. Hoshido had been the wrong choice, she’d let her grief for the mother that she’d never known consume her and lead her down the road where she’d destroyed everything she’d loved for strangers that held no stronger claim on her than her Nohrian siblings.

“I… I choose Nohr. I’m only your sister by marriage, and I don’t know any of you. Mikoto was my mother, so I will do everything in my power to make peace between our nations, but I cannot abandon the family that raised me.” It broke her heart to see Takumi’s face twist into blinding rage knowing just how close they’d been towards the end, and to see Sakura’s naked pain at her choice. Hinoka, predictably, refused to listen any further, lunging to grab her before she could walk away, only to be stopped by a fireball from Leo. But the worst reaction was from Ryouma, he didn’t attack her like she expected when Xander backed away on his horse to protect her. Instead, he spoke softly, just like he had when he’d told her of her true heritage.

“When did you find out? Who told you?” His brown eyes flicked over to Yukimura who still looked on astonished at Corrin. She wanted desperately to tell him the truth, that she’d seen the world that came out of her choosing Hoshido and it was not a path she could walk, however no one would listen to her. She would have to work from within Nohr, to change it, to do her best to redirect it and spare her siblings from Garron. Ryouma was a good leader, a good king, he’d keep them all safe. 

“It doesn’t matter, good bye, Ryouma.” With a flutter of her cape, Corrin got onto the back of the horse that was waiting for her. The soldier gave a nod of respect to the confirmed loyal Princess of Nohr, before slapping the horse’s flank to send her on her way. In the distance she could hear Sakura’s pleas and Hinoka’s yell of rage, but Corrin steeled her heart to it. She couldn’t let them sway her, this was the best path for all of them.

_‘Elise, I won’t fail you again.’_

**Author's Note:**

> Yep, that was the first of many chapters folks. This is my first time ever writing a fanfic, but I needed to contribute to the fandom. Please feel free to give constructive criticism, but be nice, I've never done this whole fanfic writing thing before.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


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